Marin Readers' Forum for Nov. 19

Now that the Democrats have a supermajority in both houses of the California Legislature, and can "ignore the Republicans" (IJ, Nov. 15) will that translate into greater responsibility?

California still spends more than it brings in (which is hardly responsible), and, given that the Democrats fooled the supposedly nonpartisan commission that reset the boundaries for each voting district in California by sending people before the commission to lobby for certain boundaries without being honest about their intent (ProPublica report dated Dec. 21, 2011), the future does not bode well.

But, hope springs eternal (though not always wisely), and prayerfully, now that the Democrats are responsible for everything the state does or does not do (they also hold every statewide office), perhaps a true sense of the awesome responsibility they have (the consequences of which they cannot blame on others) will prevail. Otherwise the even greater fiscal (and regulatory) cliff California will face will smother us.

Ray Schneider, Novato

Pesticide concerns

I was gratified that Mr. Prado's Marin Municipal Water District weed-management article alluded to the pesticide health concerns expressed by many speakers.

In addition, I think that the revelation, at the meeting, that MMWD spends only 1 percent of its total budget on non-pesticide weed management, showed that it is MMWD, itself, that has, so far, weakened that approach.

Also, and as I saw it, perhaps the most important aspect to come out of the meeting was that the large number, and the obvious passion of the anti-pesticide-use speakers, made it clear that any pesticide-use attempt will inevitably be stopped by a ballot initiative requiring that "all substances applied to watershed vegetation must be substances which if applied to food crops would allow such food crops to be designated as Organic by U.S. Department of Agriculture Organic standards."

William Rothman, MD, Belvedere

Don't spray herbicides

There's just no happy way to deal with broom.

But I think we should resist the usual calls to rely on the magic pill of modern chemistry to solve our problem. Why would anyone spray a toxic herbicide (poison) on land feeding a reservoir that we drink from? (Besides being an ingredient in Roundup, glyphosate is also found in Agent Orange, the really nasty defoliant once used in Vietnam.)

We're told we're safe, that testing protects us. Really? We've heard this line a thousand times before from chemical and GMO companies, typically denying any truth to health claims and always fighting rearguard legal battles to avoid paying claimants whose health has been harmed.

Poisons, by definition are never truly safe, and while the earth is efficient at self-healing, it has its limits, as Rachel Carson showed long ago. Over time, glyphosate causes decline in soils and non-targeted plants. Meanwhile, broom will build up resistance, prompting calls for heavier applications of chem-spray in the future.

MMWD: Please remove broom by hand with scotch broom pullers. Given the large acreage involved, MMWD should source workers from among local youths and local labor pools. Both groups might be interested in the work.

For many, Mt. Tamalpais is more than a mountain — it's a grand symbol and a powerful place, the quintessential peak of Marin's natural landscape. For some, it is a sacred mountain.